Travel-weary cornerback arrives after decision to forgo visit to New Orleans

Late Wednesday, shortly before midnight, he agreed to sign with the Chargers. He spoke with them into the morning and woke at 5:20 a.m. for a 7:20 itinerary from Jacksonville to San Diego. Fog in San Diego delayed him and his fiancé in Dallas, and after finally departing, their plane circled around and around their new city as the crew waited for skies to clear.

A little late, but he made it.

Cox signed a four-year contract shortly after 4 p.m. Some handshakes later, the former Jags cornerback traded a powder-blue, long-sleeve shirt for a navy blue polo with a lightning logo stitched over the left chest side.

It wasn’t until 4:12 p.m. he arrived at his 3:30 press conference, stood before the lights and video cameras and, with a smile, exhaled.

“I got three hours of sleep,” said Cox, who canceled a Thursday visit with the Saints to sign. “It came down to I had to trust my gut and say, ‘What people made me feel important and feel like I’d be of value?’”

The 26-year-old will start for the Chargers.

It has yet to be decided who will opposite him, as third-year cornerbacks Marcus Gilchrist and Shareece Wright both return to the roster.

The new contract is worth $20 million, but most of the $10.25 million in guarantees come into effect in 2014. Cox counts only $2.1 million against this year’s cap, a source said Thursday.